Essay Instructions: Health Care Bill Project
Please read the uploaded word file for work details and requirements.
Determine what the legislation will target; research background information; develop talking points and write a piece of legislation. The project should be 10 pages typed double spaced and a 12-point font.
Elements that must be incorporated into the project:
What will the legislation target?
Every piece of legislation came from an idea or to address an issue. You will need to determine what your legislation will target. Do research! There are so many topics in healthcare to choose from.
Examples of topics:
•Elective surgery
•Mental health
•Substance abuse
•Smoking
•Bioterrorism/Emergency response
•Gun bill
•HPV vaccine
•Oral health
Element 1: A written description outlining how you determined what your piece of legislation will target must be submitted with your project. Was it a particular article, event that helped formulate your topic? Include any research you did to determine your topic.
Research background information
To substantiate or justify the need for the legislation, information gathering is required. This information can be but not limited to:
•position statements from national organizations that set scope and standards of practice, conduct research in their field
•studies/reports
•experts
•surveys
•hearings
This information will be needed to formulate talking points and the piece of legislation.
Element 2: You must include supporting documentation from at least 3 separate organizations as they relate to your topic. For example the American Heart Association, EPA, research. Be sure to cite sources and include in your bibliography.
Talking Points
Source: http://www.naccho.org/advocacy/LHDcommunications/planning/messages.cfm
Clear, well-constructed messages help people break through information overload and choose among many different sources of information. In general, a message consisting of approximately two sentences should convey a complete idea and satisfy the following criteria:
•Define an issue in a specific way
•Identify the cause of a problem
•Be short and easy to understand
•Indicate a course of action
The message helps frame the issue for the audience. Framing an issue suggests a cause and effect??"either the harmful force that endangers health (such as asbestos or risky agricultural practices), or the beneficial force that can improve health (such as nutrition education or substance abuse treatment). Framing also can depict the magnitude of a problem. Often metaphors are useful in framing.
Here’s a partial example of how an issue??"health literacy??"might be framed:
As many as 9 in 10 Americans lack the health-literacy skills for effectively managing their health and preventing disease. The road to optimal health is a marathon, and too many of us run it wearing a blindfold.
Some important points to remember are:
•Communicate clearly to the audience
•Specify your request
•Provide a reward that your audience cares about
•Make the reward believable by providing evidence to back it up
•Use vivid and appropriate images
•Choose the right moment, and
•Choose the right messenger.
It’s especially important to avoid jargon; use plain language that will be understandable and interesting to a health reporter, elected official, consumer, or colleague from another field. Research shows that audiences give greater credence and respect to experts who express ideas in simple terms than to those who indulge in a lot of technical terminology.
Example:
Nurses are increasingly providing more care to Medicare patients, services that will be needed as Baby Boomers expand the program by 50% over the next
25 years.
•30% of all Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries received one or more services from an APRN in 2011 (compared to 26% in 2009 and 28% in 2010.) Source: CMS.
•In 2011, 100,585 APRNs directly billed Medicare Part B carriers for services provided to 10.4 million Part B fee-for-service beneficiaries.
•Despite barriers to APRN practice, there is an increasing patient acceptance and satisfaction with receiving Part B services from an APRN. Though comprising just 9% of all Medicare Part B providers, APRNs treat more than three times that percentage of all fee-for-service patients.
Element 3: You must have at least 3 separate talking points. They should be written in the format above.
Bill Writing
Source: http://abacus.bates.edu/bcsg/legislation/howtowrite.html
Anatomy of Legislation
At the top of the piece of legislation are three items of interest: the legislation number, the legislation type (bill, resolution, executive appointment), and the bill title.
The body of a piece of legislation consists of two major parts: (1) Reasons why this legislation is necessary; and (2) Actions that should be taken due to those reasons.
The first part of the body consists of "whereas" clauses which outline the arguments, facts, and circumstances supporting the action to be taken. Each "whereas" clause except the last, ends in ";". The next-to-last clause ends in "; and".
The last "whereas" clause ends in ": Now, therefore, be it". This leads into the second part of the body, which begins with "Enacted," (for Bills and Executive Appointments) or "Resolved," (for Resolutions).
Following this phrase are sections which describe what is being enacted or resolved. Each section ends with ";". The next-to-last section ends with "; and", and the last ends with ".". Section numbers may be used, but are not always necessary.
The final part of a piece of legislation are the signers. This should be the group members on one line followed by title on the next line (ex. Representative, Group #1). Cosponsors (if any) are listed after in the same fashion.
A Bill
[Descriptive Title of Your Bill]
1.Whereas, [first argument or statement of background information];
2.
3. Whereas, [second argument or statement of background information]; and
4.
5. Whereas, [the last argument or statement of background information]: Now,
6. therefore, be it
Enacted,
Section 1. [first specific policy action; you can omit Sections if you have only one action]
Section 2. [second specific policy action]
Section 3. [last specific policy action]
Respectfully Submitted,
Group Names ___
Representative, ______
Possible Coauthor ____
Representative, ______
Cosponsors [if you have any]
Cosponsor
[constituency/affiliation/residence]
[list these alphabetically by last name]
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Day, Month DD, Year:
Originally proposed.
An Example Bill
To Move Bates College to Florida While Allowing Access to Skiing
1. Whereas, Maine is really cold between October and March, 5 of the 9 months of classes;
2.
3. Whereas, most students do not enjoy the cold and want it to be warmer;
4.
5. Whereas, Florida is very warm most of the time; however
6.
7. Whereas, most students enjoy the snow and many ski or snowboard;
8.
9. Whereas, warmer weather is not conducive to skiing or snowboarding; and
10.
11. Whereas, this is an example of a proper and well-structured bill, if not a plausible idea for
12. a real piece of legislation: Now, therefore, be it
13.
14.Enacted,
15.
16. Section 1. Bates College must move to within 20 miles of Orlando, Florida during the
17. months of October through March. This move must take place over a single weekend at
18. either end and must be carried out as soon as the high temperature drops below 50
19. degrees Fahrenheit for one week.
20.
21. Section 2. The BCSG must pay for weekend plane tickets to and from New England
22. during the ski season.
23.
24. Section 3. Members of the Representative Assembly should use this document as a
25. template for their own legislation ideas. Some flexibility is allowed, but members should
26. discuss their concerns with the Parliamentarian.
Respectfully Submitted,
Bill K. Jack ‘08
President
Tamara Wyche ‘08
Representative, Rand Hall
Cosponsors
Ryan Creighton ‘07
Representative, Class of 2007
LEGISLATIVE ACTION
Monday, September 25, 2006:
Originally proposed.
Element 4: A completed bill in the format described above must be included in your project. The bill must include line numbering. The purpose of numbering the lines is for a point of reference.
Assignment Requirement
Title Page that includes the names of all group members
Table of Contents that identifies who wrote/contributed to each section of the paper
Element 1: What will the legislation target?
Element 2: Research background information
Element 3: Talking Points
Element 4: Bill Writing
Bibliography Note: all sources should be cited within the body of the text using either endnotes or parenthetical form.
Sources should be cited within the body of the text and a complete bibliography should be provided in APA format.
